


Uncle Time

by kathasaurus_rex



Series: Baby Loki [11]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Feels, Kid Fic, M/M, Science Family, Steve Rogers Feels, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart, super family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 09:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14691662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathasaurus_rex/pseuds/kathasaurus_rex
Summary: Every Wednesday night is Uncle Time, when Loki gets to spend the whole night with Steve and Bucky... until, that changes.





	Uncle Time

**Author's Note:**

> LEIA3771 asked: “Can I ask for a fic of Bucky and Loki? Their first interaction was so cute, or maybe Steve and Bucky adopting and Loki getting a younger cousin.” 
> 
> So, that's what this is. Yo, if you ask for a certain prompt in the comments, I'll write it down and add it to my list of Baby Loki prompts to write in the future! That's a thing now! 
> 
> As usual, any comments or concerns, feel free to contact me on Tumblr [@kath-uh-rinn] <3
> 
> UPDATE (1/13/19): Minor edits and revisions made.

Loki was attached to each of his aunts and uncles for different reasons, but no one could deny that Bucky was his favorite. When they were all hanging out together, Loki would follow the man around the penthouse like a duckling, eventually turning to whines and throwing his arms up, wanting to be held. Bucky was always quick to comply, pulling the boy up into a warm embrace and carrying him around on one hip.

When it was just Loki and his dads, he would whine and cry, wanting his “Unca Bucket” and wanting snuggles and “lovins,” as Steve called them.

“He’s obsessed with you,” Bruce joked, passing the boy over to Bucky.

“Nah, I’m just’a passing craze,” Bucky replied, holding the boy close and kissing the boy’s forehead. “What were you screamin’ for, kiddo?”

“Bucket,” Loki sniffled, shoving his face against Bucky’s neck and calming down as his back was rubbed. “Wan’ Unca Bucket.”

“Well, I’m here, bud. Geez, it sounded like you were summoning the devil or somethin’.”

Loki giggled and wriggled around until he could smack a kiss to Bucky’s mouth. “Wove ‘ou.”

“Love you too.”

 

///

 

Loki’s favorite nights were Wednesdays, because that was when Steve and Bucky brought him down to their floor for Uncle Time. Loki _loved_ Uncle Time, because he got to paint with Uncle Steve, drink hot cocoa with Uncle Bucky, and then he could fall asleep between the two of them, fingers clutching at Bucky’s t-shirt, Steve’s arm around his waist.

Loki was nine when Bucky and Steve announced that they were adopting a little girl, two years old, named Isabella. Loki, upon hearing the news, walked out of the kitchen and shut himself up in his bedroom. He simply told his Daddy that he was tired when he came asking after him. He cried into his pillow until he finally fell asleep.

He knew that it would happen eventually, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

 

///

 

WEDNESDAY  
4:15 p.m.

 

“Loki, you’re here,” Tony said, surprised. “Did you forget what day it is or something, squirt?”

Loki looked up at his Dad, and then back down at his math workbook. “I know what day it is, Daddy - I’m doing my homework.”

“Oh… you don’t wanna go see your Uncles today?” Tony asked.

“No, I’m busy.”

Tony pulled his phone from his back pocket and, no surprise, unread texts.

 

_FROM: Captain_

_Loki didn’t come_

_down... is everything_

_okay?_

 

_TO: Captain_

_He doesn’t wanna come_

_down today, he’s doing_

_homework._

 

_FROM: Captain_

_Oh, okay._ _Tell him we’ll see_

_him_ _next week._

 

_TO: Captain_

_Will do._

 

“Uncle Steve says he’ll see you next week,” Tony said, moving to pour himself a cup of coffee. Loki hummed in response, keeping his eyes on the work in front of him. “You okay, squirt?”

Loki nodded. “I’m fine, Daddy - just busy.”

“Okay. Well, I’m gonna go grab my stuff, and I’ll work by you for a bit, okay?”

Loki perked up a bit at that. “Okay! I can get us a snack?”

“Sounds good.”

 

///

 

The next Wednesday, Loki was lying back in bed, reading a book. Fitzgerald was cuddled up to his side.

Bruce stopped by the open doorway and watched him for a moment, confused. “Hey, bug, your Uncle Buck just messaged me, asking where you are. What’s up?”

“I’m reading, Papa. Too busy today.”

“Are you sure? I know you didn’t go last week-”

“I’m reading, Papa!” Loki snapped, keeping his eyes trained on the book. “Too busy today.”

Bruce was taken aback. “Okay, bug. Peter’s coming over tonight, so dinner’s gonna be late.”

“Okay, Papa.”

 

///

 

Four weeks passed without Uncle Time.

Steve and Bucky were confused. Loki came up with an excuse each week for why he couldn’t have Uncle Time with them, and finally, that last week, Bruce had just sighed on the phone with Steve and told him that Loki didn’t want to see them.

Bucky was devastated. When Steve had told him what Bruce said, he had immediately turned and gone into the bedroom, burrowing under the blankets so Steve couldn’t see his tears.

The next day, Steve went up to the penthouse after Loki left for school.

“Hey,” Bruce said when Steve stepped off the elevator. He was sitting on the couch, reading through a thick stack of papers. “What’s up, Steve?”

Steve sank down into one of the armchairs. “I have to talk to you about what’s going on with Loki. Has he said anything to you about why he doesn’t want to see us again.”

Bruce sighed, tossing the stack of papers onto the coffee table and leaning against the back of the couch. “Both Tony and I have tried to talk to him, but he doesn’t want to, and we can’t make him.”

“I just don’t know what we could have done to make him so upset with us. Bucky is… well, he’s heartbroken. Loki is his best friend, other than me, and he won’t get out of bed because he thinks Loki hates him.” Steve explained.

Peter walked out of his bedroom as Steve was talking, and stopped to look between the two men. “What are you guys talking about?” he asked curiously.

“Loki is upset about something and he isn’t speaking to Steve or Bucky,” Bruce said.

Peter cleared his throat. “Oh… yeah, he talked to me about that a few days ago.”

“Oh?” Bruce and Steve said in unison.

“Yeah. Let me grab some coffee and I’ll explain,” Peter said, shuffling into the kitchen. He came back a few moments later with the clunky misshapen mug that Loki had gifted him for Christmas the year before. “Okay. So…” Peter sat down near Bruce on the couch. “He’s upset about the new baby.”

Steve blinked at him a few times. “What?”

“Well, think about it. For seven years, he’s been the only kid in the tower, the only ‘baby.’ You and Uncle Bucky announced that you’re adopting, and Loki suddenly realized that, oh, I’m gonna have to vy for their attention now, oh, I might not get to spend time with the people I love anymore… so, he decided to just cut you guys off before he got hurt.”

Bruce stared at Peter, gobsmacked. “He said that?”

“Yeah. I was studying for my midterms, and I think he just needed to rant for a bit. I wasn’t even thinking about it until you said something.” Peter said sheepishly. “Basically, he just wants to keep himself from being forgotten or hurt.”

Steve’s heart ached, hearing that. “It makes me sad to hear that… Bruce, can Buck and I come up here tonight to talk to him?”

“I think that would be a good idea.” Bruce replied. “I don’t want anyone thinking they’ll be forgotten.”

 

///

 

Loki’s routine upon arriving home from school was the same every day.

He would, first, drop off his lunchbox in the kitchen, depositing the dirty tupperware and rezip bags into the dishwasher and hanging up the lunchbox on the hook by the fridge. Then, he changed out of his school uniform, hanging it up on the right side of his closet. He would usually change into cozy leggings and a t-shirt, pulling on fuzzy socks. Then, it was time to do his homework out at the kitchen table, where he usually left his backpack when he walked through to his room.

But that day, when he walked out into the kitchen, he found that Steve and Bucky were waiting for him, along with Bruce, who was leaning against the wall by the table.

“I’ll do my homework in my room,” Loki said slowly, avoiding looking at them and shuffling over to get his backpack.

“Not so fast, bug,” Bruce said gently. “I think it’s time for you to have a conversation with Steve and Bucky. I’m gonna go hang out in the living room - if you need me, just holler.” He ruffled Loki’s hair on his way out.

Bucky cleared his throat. “You wanna sit?” he asked.

Loki shrugged, walking over to scoot into the booth next to Bucky. He wrung his hands together in his lap, staring at the napkin holder in the middle of the table. “Why do we gotta talk?” he mumbled.

“Because, bud, you’ve been avoiding hanging out with us, and it’s been makin’ us really sad,” Steve said. He glanced at Bucky, and then looked back at Loki. “It hasn’t been the same, not hangin’ out with you on Wednesday nights. Uncle Time is our favorite time of the week.”

Bucky turned a bit to face Loki better. “Loke… why don’t you wanna have Uncle Time anymore?”

Loki took a shuddery breath and looked up between the two of them, eyes glassy. “I just… I figured you guys n-needed extra time to g-get ready for… to get ready for the baby.” He sniffled, face scrunching up. “I know b-babies take up a lotta time.”

“Loke… oh, little bear…” Bucky immediately pulled Loki close. “Izzy isn’t even home yet, bug. And we figured that Uncle Time would still happen - maybe Izzy will wanna come up here and spend time with _her_ uncles while you’re hanging with us.”

Loki… had not considered that. “I’m so dumb,” he cried against Bucky’s shoulder. He barely registered Steve sliding out of the booth and moving to shove in by them, cuddling up to Loki’s other side. “I’m s-sorry… I’ve been s-so sad…”

“It’s okay, Loki… It’s alright…” Steve soothed, rubbing a hand up and down his back. “We just missed you.”

 

///

 

So, Loki was informed, and he went back to Wednesday night Uncle Time. It was a little different than it used to be, because Loki was very dedicated to being the best cousin he could possibly be, so he got to help get Isabella’s room ready.

“You can’t paint her room pink,” Loki argued, arms crossed against his chest.

Steve looked at him, confused. “Why not?”

“Because yellow is superior to pink, Unca! It’s like the sun, and now that she’s coming home to be with all of us, it’s gonna be happy times.” Loki explained.

Bucky hummed in agreement. “Well, we can’t argue with that logic.” He said. “Yellow, Stevie?”

“Yeah, we can do yellow,” Steve said, smiling at the two of them.

 

///

 

Isabella came home on a Friday night, and she was _enamored_ with Loki. She already knew Bucky and Steve, of course, but Loki was the only other kid in the tower, and he made a point of holding her hand to lead her around the penthouse, and he cut up her pizza so she could clumsily eat it.

“‘Oki,” she said a few weeks later, at Friday night dinner, “wove ‘ou.”

Loki grinned at her. “I love you too, Bellie.”


End file.
